


The Best Way to Die

by FaeriMagic



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Mild Language, Other, POV Third Person, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-26
Updated: 2015-08-26
Packaged: 2018-04-17 10:04:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4662579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaeriMagic/pseuds/FaeriMagic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kuroo has a great idea to impress you.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Best Way to Die

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, I'm a sucker for reader inserts.
> 
> Honestly, this took a while to write, and I'm still unsure about it, but I hope you enjoy it! :)

Kuroo glanced at his two kouhais who were currently in a fishing contest. He watched them focus intensely at their dual-screen handhelds. Occasionally, one of them would begin to furiously tap the 'A' button before silently moving their character to another fishing spot.

"I caught a char." Kenma stated without looking up from his screen. [name] frowned as they roped in another sea bass.

"Uuuugghhh..." They groaned under their breath, their face squinched up in a frustrated expression.

It's been several weeks since Kuroo gave Kenma that Animal Crossing game. He had heard that it was popular at the time, and bought it as a joke despite the fact that he knew full well that Kenma preferred RPGs.

But things went beyond his expectations. Not only did Kenma like the game, but he also managed to SpotPass another player as well.

[name]. It was during one of the rare times Kenma had walked home alone that the two had met. Kuroo unfortunately had to leave practice early because of a conflicting dentist appointment that couldn’t be rescheduled. After a nervous discussion about the décor in each other’s houses, the two hit off a friendship because of their shared interest in the animal housing simulation.

[name], Kuroo had decided, was alright. They weren’t as quiet as Kenma, but they wasn’t as loud as Lev either. His interactions with the first-year were rather ordinary, to be honest. Occasionally, he would crack a joke, and [name] would laugh, and they’d have a light-hearted chat before [name] proceeded to play videogames with Kenma. But while those brief conversations were nice, they weren’t that substantial.

“Time’s up.” Kenma said.

“Heeheehee!” [name] grinned before showing their screen to him. “I caught a coelacanth, Kenma!”

Kenma narrowed his eyes. “But you also caught lots of carps and sea bass.” Carps and sea bass were fairly common catches, so they weren’t worth much points.

[name] faltered. “Well, yeah, but I caught a _coelacanth!_ ” In response, Kenma wordlessly showed his screen to [name]. Though he didn’t catch the elusive fossil fish, his pockets (and his house) were filled to the brim with a variety of marine life.

“Char, angelfish, koi, squid, guppy, surgeonfish...” Kenma said. “Not to mention lots of crawfish, dace, and bluegill.”

 “But…but… _I caught a coelacanth_!” [name] repeated once more.

A small smile crept up on Kenma’s face. “Well, I won, but congratulations on catching one.” He said as he proceeded to sell his catches.

[name] sank down onto their desk. “Whatever.” They pouted as they tried to take in their loss.

Kuroo chuckled as he took another bite of his lunch. He wasn’t much of videogame player himself; it was much more entertaining watching others having a go at it.

"Oh, right." Kenma said to himself before shuffling through his bag for his phone. "We came across a cat today on our way to school."

At these words, [name] brightened up. "A cat??" they said eagerly. Kenma nodded before handing his phone over and the two volleyball players watched [name] coo and scroll through the cat pictures.

"You like cats?" Kuroo asked eagerly. He wasn't as close to [name] as Kenma was, so this discovery delighted him.

"Yeah, I kinda really like them!" [name] smiled sheepishly. "I always wanted a cat, you see. They're really fluffy and cute! Ohh, it looks so adorable in this picture!!"

Kuroo grinned. "Cats really are _purr_ fect, aren't they?" He had expected the silence his audience (Kenma) usually gave after he made one of his puns, so he was in no way prepared for what he heard next.

[name] laughed. It was a quiet sort of laugh that bloomed onto their cheeks. As they laughed, a faint whisper of a breeze gently swayed a few tendrils of their hair. Kuroo somehow found his eyes resting on their lips as they spoke the words, "Nice pun, Kuroo."

It took him a second to register the compliment. "Thanks," he smiled before continuing to proceed with his lunch. "It's not everyday that you meet a pun a _purr_ eciator."

"You used the same pun, Kuroo." Kenma said as he proceeded to catch a shark. "Frankly, that's kind of lazy."

"You wound me, Kenma." Kuroo gasped. "I'll have you know that it is perfectly acceptable to repeat a pun if the situation all _owls_ it."

Forget laughter. [name] _giggled._ For some reason, the giggle sounded melodious, and Kuroo had a weird urge to hear more of it. He had a strange desire to see more of that awkward smile on [name]'s face. Whenever [name] smiled, he felt a pleasant warmth begin to settle around him. It was nice.

...The possibility that he might be falling for the first-year suddenly occurred to him, but he vehemently shook the thought away. He was a graduating third-year student and a volleyball player to boot. He ain't got time for a lovey-dovey mess.

Kenma narrowed his eyes. "' _Allowls'?_ Kuroo, you've been spending too much time with Bokuto."

* * *

"Meet me at the tree in the courtyard at 3:30 pm."

[name] stared oddly at the text message Kuroo had sent them. Sure, Kuroo was a pretty cool guy, but they weren't very close to him. The only reason they even interacted with him was because of their association with Kenma. Other than the occasional "Have you seen Kenma?" texts, they didn't have many conversations with Kuroo. (Hell, they didn't even get many texts from the pudding-haired setter.) They eventually made their way to the tree where Kuroo was waiting patiently.

"Hey!" Kuroo greeted them.

"Hi." they replied. They looked around confused. Usually, the pudding-head could usually be seen trailing behind the bedhead, but [name] couldn't see him anywhere. "Don't you have practice right now? Did you need me for something? Where's Kenma?"

Kuroo shook his head. "Volleyball practice is cancelled for today and I already escorted Kenma home."

[name] was confused. "So what did you need me for?" It must be important if he went as far as to take a round trip back to school.

Kuroo grinned. "There's a special place that I want to take you to, if that's alright with you."

For a split second, a nervous shiver racked through [name]'s body. Kuroo's smile could easily be taken for a conniving smirk. His unruly bedhead only served to heighten his frightening image. They weren't that close so what did he want? What did he want from them?

After a double take, though, [name] calmed their jumping nerves. Kuroo was just a third-year student, not some twenty-something yakuza. Besides, Kuroo was Kenma's best friend.

The calluses on his hands were a result from his participation in volleyball. His bedhead was, according to Kenma, a result of his funny sleeping position. And the glimmer in his eyes was warm and inviting, and it made [name] feel at ease.

_"Kuroo?" Kenma repeated. "Kuroo...he's a dependable person." He fiddled a few more buttons on his handheld._

_"Dependable, huh?" [name] said._

_"Nn." Kenma affirmed. There was a minute of silence before Kenma continued. "Even though he looks kinda cool, he's actually a big dork. He's always really considerate though, despite always pushing me to do my best."_

_"Mm, I kinda envy the relationship you two have." [name] said as they leaned on their feet. "I wish I had someone I can count on like that." [name] laughed as a thought occurred to them. "A bromate, if you will."_

_Kenma frowned. "Stop."_

 

"A special place, huh?" [name] said in mock suspicion. "What is this special place?"

"Well, I can't tell you, can I?" Kuroo chuckled. "That would ruin the surprise!"

"Oh, so it's a surprise, is it?" [name] grinned. "I must prepare myself." Their parents were already at work at this time, so nobody would mind if [name] was an hour or so late. "Alright, captain. Take me to the destination." [name] said as they jokingly saluted Kuroo.

Oh god, their eyes were sparkling.

* * *

The smile on [name]’s face faltered when Kuroo led them to an alleyway. It was not exactly visually pleasant, since the niche was filled with piles of cardboard and empty plastic bottles with the occasional black trash bag here and there.

“Um, Kuroo...? Why are we here?” [name] asked hesitantly. The environment was starting to make them feel a bit anxious.

Kuroo chuckled. The laugh felt a bit ominous in [name]’s ears and they tensed. An eager grin appeared on Kuroo’s face that almost looked conniving. “Do you know what this is?” Kuroo smiled as he took out a plastic bag from his pocket.

[name] frowned. What _was_ that? It looked like shredded leaves, or something. Was it grass? As [name] pondered the bag’s contents, they saw movement out of the corner of their eye.

A lean, black cat emerged from a pile of boxes and stared at Kuroo, its tail slowly swishing back and forth as the cat eyed the bag. Another tabby slowly approached the volleyball player and rubbed against Kuroo’s leg.

[name] widened their eyes as they took a step back. The seemingly empty alleyways was starting to teem with cats that slowly approached the two students. The answer to the bag’s contents was now clear. “ _Catnip_.” [name] breathed.

Kuroo smiled even wider. “Here, [name]. Catch!” He said before tossing the bag to them.

“ _KUROO, NO!”_ [name] yelled before they were knocked down in an avalanche of cats.

* * *

He fucked up. He fucked up big time.

“Please, pick up, [name]...!” He muttered to himself as tried to follow [name]’s trail. Unfortunately, the first-year was rather quick on their feet, and the fact that many of the cats still chased them even after [name] abandoned the catnip bag did not really help. Finally, he heard the phone click.

“H-hello...?” They said. Shit, they were crying!

“[name], I’m so sorry! That was completely shitty of me!”

He heard them try to merrily laugh. “Haha, don’t be!” They said before they sneezed. “Getting run over by a horde of cats is the best way to die, you know? But like, yeah, I’m allergic to them so let’s not do that again anytime soon. ”

Kuroo chuckled grimly. “I’ll definitely keep that in mind next time.” He felt awful. Sure, he hadn’t known that [name] was allergic, but that was a pitiful excuse. He _knew_ he should have made sure beforehand. God, he was such an idiot.

“Why’d you do it, anyways?” [name] asked. The question took Kuroo off guard.

“Well, I.. I knew you liked cats and I wanted to make you smile.” He stammered. The phone was silent as they both took a few moments to take in his statement.

Kuroo backtracked. “Please ignore what I just said. Uh..” He tried to ignore his burning face and changed the subject. “Where are you?”

“Oh! Um, I’m at the park on the tire swing. There’s like three cats still looking at me, you know?”

“Okay, I’ll be there soon!”

“No, don’t come get me!” They laughed. “I look horrible!”

* * *

They really did look horrible. They tried in vain to wipe dripping snot away from their noise, and their eyes were puffy and red. It would have been funny if it wasn’t his fault to begin with.

“Kuroo, I told you not to come and get me.” They tried to scowl but their glare was interrupted with a sneeze.

“Don’t you need someone to shoo away the cats?” He offered. [name] shrugged.

“I was going to just wait until they were bored of me, but that would probably help too.”

Kuroo proceeded to bend down and try to grab the remaining cats’ attention. He clicked his tongue. “Mochi, Kaze, Sando, come on, get away from them.” He commanded gently.

[name] chuckled from on their tire swing, which was still rotating slowly. “You named them?”

“They’re my catbros, of course I named them! Now, come on guys, get away from [name]. They don’t smell like nice catnip anymore, and their nose is running.” With that statement, the cats’ tails lowered and they turned away from [name], seemingly losing interest in the sniffling first-year. As they left, they imparted Kuroo with a brief affectionate rub before proceeding on their way back to the alleyway.

“And who’s fault is that?” [name] huffed as Kuroo helped them down from the tire swing. “Are you a cat whisperer or something?”

“Like I said, they’re my catbros, and bros communicate through the _heart_.”

[name] laughed and sniffed. “Okay, gotcha.” They fiddled with the tissue in their hands before they spoke again. “Hey, can you walk me home?”

“Huh?!”

“W-well it’s your fault I’m in this state, and I need someone to shoo any other cats that I might come across.” [name] smiled at Kuroo. “And you can communicate with your catbros easily, so you’re perfect for the job.”

“Uh, s-sure.” Kuroo said. They began their journey home quietly, the silence punctuated by the occasional sneeze. Every time that [name] sniffled, the guilt dug deeper into Kuroo’s stomach. “[name], I’m really so--”

“I enjoyed today.” [name] said suddenly. “You wanted to make me smile, right? You just didn’t know that I was allergic, and that’s not your fault.” They kicked a pebble as they walked. “And besides, it was nice being around so many cats. It really did make me happy, okay? So don’t beat yourself up about it.” A pleasant smile rested on [name]’s face, and looking at it made Kuroo feel funny.

He tried to find a suitable response but his mind couldn’t think straight. “I like you. Wait, what?” Shit. Shit shit _shit._

[name] stopped walking, a sign that they indeed heard Kuroo’s little blunder.

“You...like me?” They repeated. They looked away. “I’m not...sure if I feel the same way.”

Kuroo bit his lip. Ah, perhaps it was for the best. It was a busy time in his life and he ought to put more focus in his studies than delve into a romantic relationship.

“...But I’d like to spend some more time with you. Um, get to know you better, that sort of thing.” [name] said as they shuffled their feet on the ground. “I don’t have much experience with this, but I do kinda like you. I just don’t know if it's the same ‘like’ that you had in mind. Um...” They glanced hesitantly at Kuroo. “Does that make sense?”

Kuroo smiled gently. “I get it.” He ruffled their hair. “We can be friends for now, and if you ever feel the same for me you can let me know.” He knew what would happen if he rushed things that weren’t meant to be rushed. It was better to take things slow if you felt scared or unsure. In any case, being friends wasn’t such a bad thing.

[name] smiled before giving him a quick hug. “Thanks, Kuroo.”

* * *

The rest of the walk home, Kuroo found it difficult to breath. Somehow, along the way, they ended up holding hands. He couldn’t remember when that happened.

Even after saying goodbye to [name], the tight feeling in his chest wouldn’t go away. He smiled to himself. Falling in love was certainly the best way to die.


End file.
